fandomhigh | Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part II

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!event: welcome picnic

Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part II

There were plenty of tables and chairs scattered around the lawn for anyone who wanted to sit down once they'd had their fill of the buffet, or to recover from starting to find out what this place was all about. No one would judge the need to take a mental breather.

Some of the tables were out in the open, for those who weren't allergic to the sun, and some of the tables were in the shade, or far from the rest of the crowd for those who needed a little more space to process. Wherever people decided to rest, there was space enough for everyone.

[OOC: This is part two of the picnic, separated in an effort to save our browsers for as long as possible. Part one, to run into siblings, roommates and teachers, is over here, though teachers are also welcome in this post, of course. Because the picnic is outside, it is open to all students, teachers and townies.]

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"I needed a change of scenery," Anakin said, intent enough on what he was doing that he didn't even look up until halfway through the sentence, but when he did he managed a halfhearted grin. "Besides, this way I don't get any grief about hiding in my room, at least."

"That'd be a terribly tactical decision if you weren't bent over a datapad anyway," Ender said wryly. "Can I sit?"

"Sure. Why not?" Anakin made sure his code was saved, and -- gasp -- actually set the datapad aside. Within reach, of course, but it was out of his hands and not taking up his attention.

Ender sat down on the bench next to him. "Mission reports?" he guessed.

Anakin shook his head. "Mission scenarios for the flight sim. I've started working with a few Jedi recently who have this sort of . . . a link, a meld, in the Force that lets them pull off some incredibly coordinated maneuvers. I did something like that with my brother and sister once --" he wondered how well that would work now, with the tension between himself and Jacen -- "and if we can adapt it, it'd give us back some of the tactical edge we lost to the yammosks."

He realized he might need to clarify that.

"They're telepathic creatures the Yuuzhan Vong use to coordinate their fleets."

Ender nodded thoughtfully. "How does the meld work?" he asked. "Is it several individuals who just happen to be attuned, or is there a real groupthink-- so to speak?"

"Do you know anything about Barabels? Tesar and the Hara sisters are hatchmates," Anakin explained. "Not necessarily siblings, but it's a close bond anyway and Sithspawn, you should've seen the way they were flying. So close their X-wings were practically on top of each other, and they never missed a beat switching up their formation. I don't think that means those are the only circumstances under which that sort of meld can be achieved, just that it comes more naturally. With some work, though, I think we could make an actual technique out of it."

He pushed his hair back out of his eyes and just sighed resignedly when it fell right back again. "I'd guess it's got a better chance of success with a group that's already used to working together, though."

"It could be extremely valuable for small squads, or even bigger platoons," Ender agreed. He thought back to his own strategies back in the day - they had been similar enough. "You don't really need a mystical bond to accomplish it, though. You just need small groups-- plural-- with, yes, close bonds, and an intricate understanding of tactics."

Anakin nodded. "Longer-term, that's definitely a possibility. The Rogues are good that way, and the Wraiths. Or my parents. With everyone so scattered right now, though, and the turnover rate being as high as it is, it's going to be tough keeping groups together long enough to form bonds like that where they don't already exist."

"Even with Force powers, you're not going to make a cohesive unit happen any other way, though," Ender noted. "If you give them access to each other's minds, they're going to be desoriented."

None of this really mattered. Of that, Ender was painfully aware. But he wanted to know this lost Solo son before he vanished.

Anakin hadn't taken that into consideration; he frowned, tried to fit that into his ideas, and only partially succeeded, but as far as he was concerned it was good enough.

"I wouldn't suggest just throwing any old group of Jedi together for that. Someone who isn't used to working with Lowie, for example, might get knocked flat picking up on some of his reactions to certain situations. They're pretty strong," he said wryly. "Even those of us who know each other better -- what if we could figure out a way to control the meld? Maybe even filter it somehow, so no one is overwhelmed by picking up on the tiniest details everyone else is sensing?"

"That's going to take some time and fine-tuning," Ender said. If it had been his plan, he'd have relied less on the Force - but asking that of a Jedi was a lot like asking a runner to try driving a car to the finish line.

That analogy couldn't possibly be more apt than it was with Anakin, who couldn't go without the Force any more than he could without oxygen.

"As much time as we can squeeze out for fine-tuning, anyway," he acknowledged, and tried to smile, but he looked more tired than he should for his 17 years when he did. "It's a little bit of a luxury right now, and there's less of us by the day, so you can guess how that puts more on the rest."

Ender had seen eight-year-olds as tired as Anakin; he'd seen worse in the mirror at eleven. But recognition brought sympathy, not annoyance.

"Yes, I can," Ender said quietly. "Which is why it's important to use the resources you've got. Find the most attuned groups of two and three and throw them into the fray to test it."

Anakin nodded. "I can think of a few test combinations already." Definitely Tesar and his hatchmates, who seemed to be ahead of the curve on that one (really, the main challenge would be filtering through the frequently maddening Barabel sense of humor to pick out useful and concrete suggestions for improvement). Jaina and Jacen, himself and Tahiri.

He smiled slightly. "Usually when I get adults giving me advice, it feels like they're trying to say I don't know any better." Sorry, Ender, you counted as an adult to him. "It doesn't really seem like that right now."

Which was a welcome change, really.

Ender shot him a wry look. "Some of the best military strategists I've known peaked when they were eight, nine, ten, eleven years old," he said. "I'm not about to judge you based on your age. Your insights, perhaps."

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